Turn it down

Posted

Mic Club returns to Mac's Bar

Friday, Sept. 16 @ Mac’s Bar, 2600 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 18kknd, $15/$10 adv., 9 p.m.

The local Mic Club hip-hop showcase formed in 2007, but it’s been absent from the scene since January 2013 when its founder, rapper Sincere, moved down south. Friday, the Lansing-centric concert series comes out of hibernation for a one-night concert. Former Lansing emcee Jahshua Smith, now based out of Detroit, co-hosts the show with Sincere. Smith also releases his new LP, “The Fourth Wall,” at the show and will perform tracks from the LP. Also on the bill are Moe, Tugga, Coach Pe$o, Ahmad Da God, Blake Wilson, Maddog, Dem Silent Boys, Virces Handcock, Wavie P and Gwopped Up Speedy.

The concert, dubbed “We Got the Keys to the Streets” and copromoted by Peezy Promotions, isn’t the only reason Sincere is back in town. “I'll be here for a week promoting the event and finishing up my EP, ‘The Shining,’” Sincere said. “I’ll also be starting on my and my brother Ichiban Cy’s project, ‘The Mechanic.’” Looking back, Sincere said the Mic Club shows were always about joining lyrical forces, and the same goes for Friday’s event. “Mic Club was started to bridge the gap between Lansing, East Lansing and Jackson,” he said. “Unity was a big reason.”

Now living in Fort Lauderdale, Sincere said his new city, which is similar in size to Lansing, has some of the same problems in the local rap scene. “The issues in the hiphop scene are the same,” he said.

“There are support issues, clubowner issues, club-promoter issues, radio issues, crew beef issues – it’s the same conversations really.”

But he’s still fond of his old hometown. “Lansing is small,” Sincere said, “but big on talent and unique in talent diversity, too.”

Carolina Chocolate Drops' Dom Flemons at the Robin Theatre

Sunday, Sept. 18 @ The Robin Theatre, 1105 S. Washington Ave., Lansing. $15, 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.

Dom Flemons, acclaimed songwriter and co-founder of the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, performs two shows Sunday at the Robin Theatre. The multi-instrumentalist, known for his old-time folk and African-roots sound, plays banjo, guitar, harmonica, fife, bones, drums and quills, in addition to singing. With the Carolina Chocolate Drops — alongside fellow members Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson — Flemons has played huge festivals like the Newport Folk Festival and Bonnaroo, as well as iconic venues like the Grand Ole Opry. Raised in Phoenix, Ariz., Flemons majored in English at Northern Arizona University and became a professional musician in 2005. In 2011, the Carolina Chocolate Drops won a Grammy Award for its “Genuine Negro Jig” LP. The group was also nominated for its most recent disc, 2012’s “Leaving Eden.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here




Connect with us